One more reason for visiting St.Petersburg

Maslenitsa Festival will become a new attraction of winter Petersburg. Vice-President of Russian Union of Travel Industry Sergey Korneev said that the New Year festivities and celebrations on Dvortsovaia Square during the last two years gave a serious push to the development of winter tourism. According to RST data the occupancy rate in the hotels of St.Petersburg increases during New Year period by 10 – 15%. But after 10-days holidays there is a long period of recession and general savings in Russia. RST suggested to celebrate Maslenitsa Festival, this Russian carnival, in St.Petersburg during low season. The capital of Russian Empire was the place of bright and active festivities and attracted a lot of guests already during the times of Peter the Great.

RST initiative was supported by the Governor of St.Petersburg Valentina Matvienko and the members of the Legislation Committee of the City Parliament. As a result Maslenitsa is becoming an official city festival starting next year. And the budget for the celebrations next year will increase by 5% and will reach 345,6 million rubles.

Mr. Sergey Korneev thinks that Maslenitsa in its new official status must gather winter traditions of imperial St.Petersburg: ice-slopes for sledging, fireworks, building ice palace.

Thomas Hall, one of the establishers of “White Days” program, that should help foreigners to change their opinion of St.Petersburg, to forget such drawbacks as mash of snow, mud, icicles falling of the roofs and cold, thinks that a folk festival for Maslenitsa is a good idea. Winter balls, masquerade and other social functions were used as main attractions. Thomas Hall said that the image of winter St.Petersburg is already getting better but visa problems and high prices of airtickets still discourage the possible increase of foreign tourists. “Paris, Vienna, Berlin are full of tourists because these cities are easy and not expensive to visit“, explains Thomas Hall.

General director of “Mir” travel agency Valery Fridman is sure that in a few years Maslenitsa can become a great city festival.